


Camelot's Downfall and Arthur's Rise Again

by Tamasha



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Camelot, Canon Era, Canon-Typical Violence, Feels, Fights, Gay, Happy Ending, Kidnapping, Love, M/M, Magic Revealed, Minor Character Death, Rebellion, Relationship(s), Romance, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-26
Updated: 2015-08-26
Packaged: 2018-04-17 07:17:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4657488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tamasha/pseuds/Tamasha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Morgana has taken over the castle and Arthur has no choice but to call for a retreat. But how can he leave while some of his men - including Merlin - are still trapped inside?!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Camelot's Downfall and Arthur's Rise Again

**Author's Note:**

> written by Tamara

Morgana had taken the castle too easily. The knights and guards of Camelot had fought well, but Arthur had not lead a successful battle. As things progressed, it became clear that many of his people would not make it out of this battle alive. Standing among his fellow men, Arthur realized he needed to fall back. One by one, men were dying all around him. His heart raced and the decision to keep his men safe overpowered his desire to maintain the castle. Uther would be so disappointed.

"Fall back!" Arthur shouted, with the little strength he had left. "Retreat!"

The knights obeyed and began to funnel out the gate, the only available exit. Arthur waited for a majority of his men to make it to the other side before he moved. Morgana must have been watching, because the men who now controlled the gates began to lower it. Panic set in as Arthur realized that even though he had given up his kingdom to his sister, not all of the people who fought alongside him would make it to safety.

Then a whole new panic set in as Arthur realized Merlin was atop a tower, running down the stairs, as he held off one of Morgana’s men. The idiot, what did he think he was doing? Arthur had ordered him to stay behind; he couldn’t possibly fight and protect himself.

Arthur bolted across the courtyard towards his manservant, but was stopped abruptly by Leon’s sword to his chest. "Sire!" his most noble knight said, in equal parts surprise and worry. "We must get you to safety, quickly, my lord."

Struggling against his friend’s strength, Arthur tried to press on towards Merlin who was still fighting a man nearly twice his size. "But Merlin..." Arthur retorted pitifully. "He -"

"No time, sire," Leon commanded with an uncharacteristically stern tone.

Though the man had a smaller frame, he was much taller than Arthur and therefore stronger. As the battle continued around them, Arthur’s head spun, leaving him dizzy with concern. Somehow, the knight had gotten Arthur to the other side of the gate. Merlin had managed to fight the other man off and was now making his way towards the slowly closing gate.

More men flooded towards the only opening to freedom, but the gate slipped shut faster.

Faster.

It wouldn’t hold long enough.

"Merlin!" Arthur heard the distant sound of his cry ring in his ears.

With a loud bang, the gate shut. Pounding on the iron rods, the knights on the other side looked regretfully back at their king. He had failed. Failed his kingdom, failed his knights, and worst of all, Arthur had failed Merlin.

His skinny manservant grasped the iron bar tightly as he nodded to Arthur with a sad smile. "Go," he mouthed calmly, but Arthur couldn’t leave.

"Open the gate!" Arthur shouted uselessly. "Merlin!"

Leon pulled again on Arthur’s chainmail, but the king refused to leave his men, refused to leave Merlin. "We must go, my lord! It won't be long before they follow us. Come, now."

He should stay with his men - the ones that had made it out - let them regain their strength and numbers before coming back to fight again. That was the strategic move he had been trained to follow, that was the right move... but, it wasn't.

Merlin turned to fight off the approaching enemy and Arthur’s heart clenched at the sight. His small manservant had fought alongside Arthur in so many battles, never once hesitating for his own safety. Arthur had always protected him, but now, it was out of his control. Merlin would surely die, and it was Arthur’s fault.

"I won't leave him," Arthur said to no one as several knights dragged his limp body onto a horse. Morgana’s men began racing alongside the outer walls towards the still-lingering group of knights at the gate. "I'm sorry," Arthur whispered to Merlin as the younger man looked back one last time.

A high pitched ringing began slow, and built in Arthur’s ear, as his vision blurred. Soon Arthur was on a horse riding away from his men, his kingdom, and his trusted manservant.

 

~

 

Two days had passed. The remaining knights, who had made it out alive, met up in the woods with the villagers who had been evacuated, as soon as they received news of Morgana’s attack. A small camp, not far from the castle walls, was just far enough away to go undetected for a short time, but it was not permanent.

As the knights, led by Sir Leon - not Arthur - planned a mission to take back the castle,  Arthur sat comatose, useless to his men and his people. Not only did he feel the weight of his mistakes push heavier than ever upon him, but the sadness of leaving behind people that could have been saved made him think that there was more that could have been done. What if he had stayed, fought off the oncoming men till the gates could be opened? He could have saved them. He could have saved Merlin.

Guilt rose again as Arthur sank to his bed roll. The past two days had been spent with his remorse overpowering him, making him a useless mess. Normally, Merlin would convince Arthur to make a plan of action, to believe in himself again, or something - to do something. But everyone at the camp let Arthur shrink into himself and wither away with self doubt.

"Arthur," a faint, familiar voice called out. It sounded as if it were in Arthur’s own head, yet still a long ways away. "Arthur," it called again.

Merlin? Arthur wondered. But it couldn’t be. Certainly Arthur was going mad.

"Arthur?" This time Arthur was certain he knew that voice. He sat up in the fading light of dusk and pulled his sword automatically. "Who's there?" he asked sharply, but he felt he knew.

Merlin.

But he was back in Camelot! He was...

No. Merlin wasn’t dead. He couldn’t be. Arthur couldn’t allow himself to believe that. If Merlin was dead, what would be the purpose of continuing on?

"It's me. Can you hear me, Arthur?" The ringing in Arthur’s ears began again as Merlin's voice became more clear. "Answer me, you clotpole." It was definitely his manservant.

"Merlin!" Arthur said with much more enthusiasm than he would have cared to show. "Where are you?"

"A bit tied up at the moment." He let out a deliberate laugh, making Arthur understand his ill-timed pun.

"Merlin!" Arthur demanded harshly. "There is no time for jokes! Tell me how I can find you."

"You can’t," Merlin admitted quietly. "She is listening. I am only able to talk to you because of her magic. She thinks she can find you this way, but she doesn't know that the magic only works one way. I have hidden your location from her. Don’t worry, you are safe."

Arthur waited for more, some instructions or guidance but the world went uncannily silent. Even the bird's songs went dead. "Merlin?" But he knew there would be no reply.

The northern tower. Wait. How did he know that? How had he known Merlin was there? But somehow, he did. Arthur had never been more certain of anything in all his life.

Sheathing his sword, Arthur moved to slip on his armor. He would go at once, and alone. Merlin would certainly be waiting for him, and would still be alive. He had to be.

 

~

 

The castle seemed much more daunting from the outside at night. Arthur had only been on the other side of these walls at this time of day when he was sneaking off into the woods to escape a fight from Uther. He never thought he would be scaling the walls of his own home to rescue his manservant from within.

Once on the other side, Arthur slipped into the armory undetected. He knew exactly how to get to the northern tower without being spotted. His plan of going alone, and knowing this castle so well, would prove to be an advantage. This mission was sure to succeed.

Arthur ascended the winding staircase that led to the top of the tower Merlin was sure to be in. He heard footsteps approaching and froze. Morgana must have known of the secret entrance Arthur had used to get here. This was once her own home too, and surely she knew the ins and outs of the castle as well as Arthur. The clanging of armor against the stone floor sent a wave of terror through Arthur. If it was just one guard, he should be able to fight him off without a struggle, but Arthur’s head spun, and he was no longer certain of his own strength.

As the guard rounded the corner, Arthur halted his attack. The man was in Camelot red. "Elyan!" Arthur cried in desperate confusion. "What are you doing!?"

"My lord." The other man fell to his knees and dropped his weapon. "You are well! Please, sire, forgive me. She said we would be spared if we joined her; we were left with little choice but to -"

"Be calm, my friend," Arthur soothed. "You have not done any wrong. I understand. How many are you?"

"Twelve, sire," Elyan answered from his place on the ground. "Only twelve of us remain. Some were tortured and some killed on the spot. I'm sorry my lord, I have failed you."

"Rise," Arthur command with a soft reassurance. "You must gather the others at once. We will regain the crown, tonight. But first I need your help."

 

~

 

When Sir Elyan and King Arthur stopped in front of a wooden door, one that undoubtedly held the king's manservant, the warning bells rang. Arthur's head snapped to Elyan who had a remorseful look upon his face. "We must hurry." Arthur nodded and pushed open the heavy door.

Inside, Merlin hung, hands tied above his head, while his frame was slumped into a limp droop. His legs barely brushed the floor, only holding up a little of the man's weight. He looked somehow smaller and even more scrawny than he normally did. Ignoring the abrupt pang in his throat, Arthur rushed to Merlin’s side. "Please," he breathed. "Come on, you idiot!"

Merlin’s head bobbed to one side, and his chin rose slightly. He was covered in dried blood that Arthur had unconvincingly told himself was not Merlin’s own. His black and blue cheek contrasted his ever-pale skin. Even his already ratty clothes seemed somewhat more worn. It was truly pitiful, but thinking too much on it would only slow Arthur down. He needed to save Merlin. That was the priority.

"Elyan," Arthur whispered to his knight. "Get to the other guards as quickly as possible. Don’t hesitate for a moment. If you are stopped and questioned, continue to play your part, but under no circumstances, let them know that you have seen us. Protect yourself, Elyan. Go!"

Without another word, Elyan obeyed his king and rushed out. Removing his dagger, Arthur cut his manservant from the binding and pulled him onto his shoulder. "It's going to be all right," he reassured quietly, whether to himself or the nearly unconscious Merlin, he was not sure.

Moving quickly to the throne room, Arthur realized he would not have a safe place for Merlin. He needed to find somewhere for his manservant that was out of harm's way. If his plan were to succeed, he needed to be sure of one thing: Merlin's safety.

Arthur found a room that was in the servant’s hall. Morgana would not think to look here for Merlin, especially if she knew not of who had rescued him. Arthur breathed softly into Merlin’s ear as he lowered him down gingerly on the small cot. "Rest here, Merlin. I will return."

Before leaving, Arthur heard a small voice say, "Don't go, Arthur. Not again."

Turning around, Arthur found Merlin struggling to sit up with a truly pathetic attempt at a scowl on his face. "Merlin," he said, reflexively returning to his manservant’s side. "You need to stay here. Elyan and I have a plan to regain the castle. Twelve men on the inside that no one expects is more than enough. Once Morgana is defeated, her men will surely give up."

"You're wrong." Merlin grabbed Arthur’s arm with a surprising strength. "She knows you are coming." He searched Arthur's eyes before continuing. "Why do you think she kept me alive?"

Arthur ignored his manservant, as he had always done. His plan would work. Even if Morgana had known he was here, she hadn't planned on Arthur finding Elyan. She hadn't planned on the loyalty of his knights. Refusing to listen to anymore of Merlin’s useless worry, Arthur plowed on. He had to be right. But Merlin’s words still echoed loudly in his head, much like the spell Morgana had cast only a short time ago. No. Arthur needed to be confident, but why did he feel so lost?

Before sunrise, Arthur slammed open the door of the throne room. Just as planned, twelve knights stood before Morgana, but they were outnumbered and all had swords pressed to their backs.

"Welcome brother!" Morgana had gone from bad to worse in the two years since Arthur had seen her face. Now close enough to see the details, he knew she had suffered and would be too far gone to listen to reason.

Arthur moved closer, sword drawn. "Let them go. Your quarrel is with me, Morgana!"

A bitter laugh filled the otherwise silent room. It echoed for a moment before Morgana rose from the throne and met Arthur in the middle of the room, pushing past the knights who were still kneeling with their hands on their heads. "You think this is about them? I don't care if they live or die. This is all for you, dear brother."

She signaled to her men and one by one each plunged their swords into the knights they held onto. With one last desperate look, Elyan fell to the ground in a pool of his own blood. "No," Arthur shouted uselessly as he tried to race to his men. He was stopped by an invisible force that he assumed was Morgana’s powerful magic. "Why?" he asked, despairing, still looking at his fallen knights.

"For you." Morgana knelt to meet Arthur's eye; he had sunk to the floor in his exasperation. His long lost sister smiled at his grief, grabbing his chin with her cold hands. "It's all for you, dear brother. I played into your flaws that you didn't even know you had. Your love for your manservant, your undying trust in your noble men in red, and your complete confidence that you own the throne. But not this time, Arthur; this time I have the upper hand, I'm one step -"

"Not so fast." An shockingly forceful voice filled the throne room. "You didn’t count on one thing, Morgana."

"Oh, dear, sweet Merlin. How could I ever forget you and your relentless bravery for your king? It's too late, though; all is lost."

"Not yet, Morgana."

Still bound by Morgana’s magic, Arthur was unable to rush to Merlin's side, as he wanted. Unwillingly, Arthur was forced to watch his sister glide over to Merlin, confidently holding out a hand to him. "It's over, Merlin. You have no weapons, no plan, only a foolish love for my idiot brother. I would suggest -"

"I would suggest," Merlin bellowed, "that you let Arthur go before I hurt you!"

Morgana threw back her head and laughed hard. As much as Arthur wanted to believe in Merlin, he had to agree that he had nothing left but his stupid, misguided hope.

"I'm warning you, Morgana. This is your last chance."

Morgana’s face turned daring and she smiled at him, whispering, "I don't fear you."

With a deep breath, Merlin let out a stream of unintelligible words that sent Morgana flying across the room. The guards spun into action, all headed for Merlin, but in her disorientation, Morgana had let go of her vise on Arthur, leaving him free to bound onto his feet. He went after each guard, but every one of them fell before Arthur could reach them.

Standing in the midst of the fallen men, Arthur heaved an accusing breath at Merlin who simply shrugged. Before Arthur could speak, Merlin’s face fell. His hand was already up, but it was too late, Morgana had struck first and the world went black. The last thing Arthur remembered was yelling and a ringing in his throbbing head.

 

~

 

Groggily, Arthur shifted on a bed roll. It was well into morning, with the sun almost fully over the horizon. With a strain, Arthur sat up, using his weak arms for support. He surveyed his surroundings with no explanation. He was in the forest, but no one was around. How had he gotten away from Morgana, out of the castle? How had he... Merlin.

With no manservant in sight, Arthur began to fear the worst. Somehow he had gotten out alive, but Arthur could not be certain of Merlin’s fate. He was strong enough to fight off Morgana’s men, but had his magic been strong enough to defeat Morgana? And how had Arthur been brought to safety without Merlin?

His magic...

Bewildered, Arthur tried to make sense of it. Though all the logic in Arthur’s brain was in turmoil, for some reason, Arthur believed in Merlin. He always knew there was something special about Merlin, but he had never quite fathomed it out. Pride began to overtake his worry as he knew that Merlin had saved him. There was no other explanation. Just as Merlin had done many times in the past, he would always be by his king's side, protecting him.

"You're up." There was a crack of a twig beneath Merlin’s foot as he walked to where Arthur sat in the woods. "How do you feel?"

"Merlin!" Arthur jumped up, despite his spinning head, and rushed to his manservant. "You're all right!"

"Of course," Merlin chuckled, accepting Arthur's hug hesitantly. "You seem to be doing much better."

"You defeated her," Arthur stated simply. "You did it. You..." He trailed off, looking into Merlin’s deep blue eyes with wonder. "I should have known better than to ignore your advice, Merlin. I am sorry."

"It's not the first time you've got yourself into trouble against my direct orders." He gave Arthur a coy smile before pulling away.

Following the sorcerer, Arthur dropped back to his bed roll. "I have you to thank for my life, Merlin. For more than just today... I know I underestimated you -"

"That's an understatement," Merlin said bitterly, not looking into Arthur’s eyes. Instead, Merlin rifled through a pile of wood he had gathered and began building a fire.

"Merlin," Arthur offered slowly, hoping he had not done irreparable damage. "How can I ever make it up to you?"

Merlin just shook his head, then shifted to study Arthur. "I know you don't think much of me -"

"No," Arthur retorted. "That’s not true. It's never been true. Merlin, I need you. I've always needed you. Even without magic, I'd still need you more than any knight. You have always been my reason to continue on, my steadfast strength, my assurance, and my..." He failed to continue, but hoped he could find the words. He needed Merlin to believe how badly Arthur depended on him. "I've always loved you, Merlin."

With the last words, Merlin froze, jaw lax in an unattractive - yet somehow adorable - look. The younger man put down the wood in his hand, and ever so slowly moved towards Arthur. Tentatively, he placed his hand on Arthur’s and met his king's eye. "Really?"

"With all my heart," Arthur responded as his eyes closed, pulling Merlin in for a long-awaited kiss. When they separated, Arthur knew that no matter what the future held, as long as Merlin was by his side, he would walk with his head held high, and his hand tightly grasping the hand that he trusted so dearly. Merlin would be by his side for as long as he lived and further.

 

**Author's Note:**

> This was written after watching the second Narnia movie. I feel like Peter and Arthur have a lot in common and I wanted to see what Arthur would do in a similar situation as Peter. This just turned into a magic revealed love story, but you know how it goes... Thanks for the support, hope this one wasn’t too sad.


End file.
